Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan & 'Creating The French Look' book give-a-way

Have you ever been window shopping and seen a gorgeous piece of French furniture and fallen in love with it, only to flip over the price tag and nearly die of shock!...Well, no longer as ChalkPaint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan has made its way to New Zealand's shores and is available at Fenwick Vintages, Paraparaumu, Femme de Brocante, Rangiora and Papillon in Cromwell. Using Chalk Paint™ you can achieve fantastic results, from old and tired, to fresh and fabulously French with absolutely no tiresome prep work. 

As a blogger and avid blog reader, I am well aware of the triumphant results of DIY bloggers. Bloggers who turn a yard or garage sale bargain into a stunning piece of furniture that looks like something out of House & Garden. Some of the makeovers are so gorgeous it makes you wonder, "Could I possibly achieve these results myself?" With the recent research on Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan, I believe we can and I have two volunteers, plus myself who are going to have a go at refinishing/upcycling some furniture using Chalk Paint™ .

I just want to add, when I talk of Chalk Paint™, to those of us in New Zealand who may not be familiar with the name, it is NOT the same chalk paint used to create a blackboard effect, the chalk in Annie's paint is just one of her secret ingredients for her safe and odourless paint. The name is derived from the paints matt, almost chalky finish. Chalk Paint™ was developed by Annie over 20 years ago and has been said to have revolutionised decorative painting. The matt velvet finish of Annie's paint can also have a subtle sheen added by applying a coat of Annie's soft wax which gives added protection.

This previously dark wood coffee table above was given new life by blogger Danielle, using an initial layer of 

Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan in 'Provence', followed by clear wax, tinted olive wax and a finishing touch of gilding wax. I think Danielle did an amazing job and it makes me a little upset that I gave away my mums old mahogany coffee table, It was not as beautiful as this but it certainly had the potential to be. You can find step by step instructions for this paint technique at Danielle's blog, Silver Pennies.

Now for some exciting news...

While typing this post I heard a knock on my door, Poppy leapt off the sofa and raced in front of me giving her BIG dog bark interpretation. I opened the door to see a rather hesitant DHL delivery man holding a package from the Annie Sloan company looking as if he'd expected a Rottweiler, not a tiny toy Schnoodle ,wagging her tail ninety to the dozen. I had been expecting the package and quickly opened it to see a copy of Annie's book, 'Creating the French Look' plus the Chalk Paint™ colour cards. 

I am  literally jumping up and down and probably all over the place with this post as the colours are to die for. Soft pastels such as 'Louis blue' for a Rococo look, 'Provence' a deeper blue/green, reflecting the colours of old doors and shutters in the South of France. Brighter colours such as 'English yellow', an amazing deep yellow inspired by hand-painted Chinese wallpaper, not to mention, 'Antibes Green' a colour found in the rustic country furniture of Ireland and the South of France.....oh! and I can't miss out 'Greek Blue' which to me is like the meeting of the sky above with the sea below. There are 27 wonderful colours plus a neutral range of 5 colours of which I love the 'Paris Grey'.

Eligibility for the book give-a-way, 'Creating The French Look' is to simply add yourself as a follower and leave a short comment below this post or on my Facebook page telling me why you would like to win the book and what your first makeover might be? The competition is worldwide, as long as you can provide a postal address. The winner will be chosen on the 27th of September, so don't forget to check back as I will announce the winner and include an email address where you can contact me to provide your delivery address. I have just been thumbing through the book, it's absolutely gorgeous and contains lots of beautiful images, including 25 step by step projects, imagine what beautiful makeovers you could achieve if you won a copy of 'this lovely book. I have taken a few photos to share with you, don't worry you will have a brand new copy so there will be no dog-eared pages ☺.

I am also excited to be collaborating with Olivia of Lucille in Wellington and Kaye of Curtainalia & Bel Cuscino in Auckland, both will put the Chalk Paint™ and finishing wax to the test, I am really excited about seeing their results which will be shared on Lee Caroline once they are finished. Olivia will be working on two pieces and Kaye is going to re-paint an ornate antique, French dressing table. Myself, I will be repainting a piano stool and a chest of drawers and I can see it will be terribly hard to narrow down what colour I will choose.

Above, a sneak peek inside

Colour charts

To inspire your creativity, I am sharing some of Annie's restorations using Chalk Paint™

Annie demonstrating

Waxing after painting will enhance the molding and give an aged effect as seen on this gorgeous French bed

A simple country look side table has been given a lovely two tone finish

Oh my! 'Provence'

A sheer layer of 'Pure white', allows the natural wood grain to reveal itself

It seems that Annie's paint is as creative as your imagination allows and I can't wait to try it out myself. Chalk Paint™ is currently available at the following stockists, (click on the link to find your local stockist).

Addendum April 2014: If you live in Auckland, Chalk Paint™ is now available at Le Monde in Parnell.

Australia & New Zealand

United States

A list of stockists in other countries can be found at Annie Sloan

If you want ideas on ways you could use Chalk Paint™, please check out my Paint Effects board on Pinterest for lot's of inspiration, then pop over and watch  Annie's video with step by step techniques using ChalkPaint™, Annie also has a lovely blog and her own Pinterest page.

Don't forget to leave your comment below, or on my Facebook page and add yourself as a follower to be in with a chance to win a copy of Annie Sloan's book, 'Creating the French Look'. The winner will be announced on the 27th October NZST (New Zealand Standard Time). The competition is open to anyone.

You may want to sign up for email, on my side bar, so you don't miss out on these makeovers.

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